Towers, such as wind turbine towers for example, are made of steel or concrete. The tower is manufactured in a manufacturing site and transported to the installation site. There the tower is erected and connected to a foundation.
The tower can be manufactured in one piece, or it can comprise several segments. In the case of tower segments, the segments are transported to the installation site and are connected at the installation site.
The tower segments can be connected before the tower is erected and connected to the foundation. It is also possible to connect the lowest tower segment to the foundation. Additional tower segments are attached to the first segment after the first segment is connected to the foundation.
The tower segments are fixed to the foundation or to another tower segments by a bolted flange connection, for example.
During the installation of the tower or the tower segments, the connection interface between parts of the tower or between a part of the tower and the foundation need to be aligned.
It is known to use guiding means to assist in aligning the parts of the tower.
JP 2014001595 A discloses an assembly of a concrete column, which is with an upper pillar made from pre-stressed concrete having a tapered surface, and a lower column having a tapered surface. A tapered guiding means is used for coupling the columns. The guiding means for couplings is inserted over the tapered surface of a lower column from the upper pillar.
The guiding means can only be used at tapered tower walls.
CN 203335331 U describes a guiding means for aligning a tower cylinder with a flange with bolt holes. The guiding means have a pin rod and pin cap, whereby one end of pin rod is cone-shaped. The other end is welded to a pin cap. The diameter of the pin is the same as the diameter of a bolt for the flange of the wind turbine tower cylinder. The guiding means use a bolt hole in the flange.
EP 2667017 A describes an aligning tool in the field of wind turbines for aligning a hole with a fastener. The first section is adapted for connecting to the fastener and the second section having an outside diameter tapering down in a direction away from the first section. The aligning tool is connected to the fastener and can easily catch a corresponding hole.
The installation of a tower or tower segment with the guiding means described is carried out with the assistance of personnel. Thus humans are present in the area of the tower where the tower segments are connected. The workers assist in aligning the tower with the help of ropes, by hand or just by visually controlling the process. This shows the disadvantage of injuries, as the tower segments are heavy and the movement of the tower segment is influenced by wind and thus not completely controllable.
WO 2011/009538 A2 discloses a system for assembling, for fixing and for transporting as well as a method for assembling and for transporting components of a wind turbine. A connecting device, a transport beam, and transport frame are provided. The invention addresses the problem of providing a system and a method with which a rapid, cost-effective and reliable transport and a rapid, cost-effective and reliable assembly and disassembly of the components of a wind turbine can be achieved. That problem is essentially solved in that the connecting device comprises two corresponding elements, which provide guide elements and receiving elements, the result being that the components are rapidly and reliably joined.
To align a component of a wind turbine with the arrangement and method described in the prior art document, the component of the wind turbine already needs to be aligned to a high degree to its counterpart. If the alignment is out of a predetermined range the alignment arrangement can't interact and align the component.